Oct 15, 2019
With the adventures of summer behind us, the fall season calls us back to routine — back to our plans. It’s comforting to have a plan. A plan removes the stress and anxiety of the unknown. It gives us a roadmap, and by following it, we trust we’ll achieve our goals.
In our more than 25 years of ministering to Catholics and their philanthropy, we’ve come to learn that there’s one goal everyone shares: giving well. But planning for this goal can sometimes feel overwhelming. We often hear people say, “There is so much need. How can I be sure my philanthropy is making a difference?”
Oct 14, 2019
Patrick Murry, CPA, is a partner at Murry & Associates, LLC, where he specializes in assisting individuals and closely-held businesses with their tax planning, preparation, and compliance needs. He serves on the finance council at Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata. Below, Patrick provides four tips you can use to maximize your charitable investment with a donor advised fund.
Jul 12, 2019
I’ve always appreciated the dual meaning of the word “talent.” In the Bible, a talent is a unit of monetary value. Today, it refers to our gifts and skills. Both meanings apply when it comes to giving. And, you can give either form of talent to benefit the common good.
But how you give your talents matters.
Jul 11, 2019
The U.S. federal tax code underwent massive changes in 2018. Because of these changes, many folks found they weren’t getting the refund amount they normally did. In some cases, people who typically received a refund actually owed the IRS.
One concern about these changes was that charitable giving would decrease. And it did, among folks who give less than $5,000 per year. They knew they weren’t going to see a tax benefit from their contributions due to the high standard deduction, so many withheld their giving.
The good news is that many people who give significant amounts each year continued giving — and even gave more than usual in order to get full tax benefits with the new standard deduction. This is what we call “bunching” — and it’s a strategy from which more taxpayers could benefit.
Jul 10, 2019
A considerable factor in the Catholic Community Foundation’s (CCF) ability to facilitate “smart philanthropy” is its board of directors. “All 25 members are inspired by their Catholic faith,” says CCF President Anne Cullen Miller, “and all bring an incredible breadth and depth of expertise and experience to help drive strategy.”
Jul 9, 2019
Catholic schools’ combination of quality education and faith formation brings value to students, parishes and the wider community, but financial and social barriers to Catholic education remain for some families, including a growing Latino population, experts noted at a June 25 forum on education sponsored by the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota. The forum was held at Cretin-Derham Hall high school in St. Paul and drew 90 pastors, donors, school administrators, educators and community leaders. It was part of CCF’s ongoing “Giving Insights” series, which explores the impact of Catholic philanthropy on the community…
May 14, 2019
What do you want your family’s legacy to be? If you struggle to answer that question, consider this one: What do you want to pass on to your children when you yourself pass on? You might think of gifting your children an inheritance of money to provide financial support. Or perhaps, you picture an heirloom, an artifact that has been […]
May 3, 2019
You’ve likely seen recent reports of record highs in the stock market. When the market is strong, we see an increase in giving across the board. A 2018 report by Giving USA found that stock market values “are an indicator of financial and economic security,” and that “households and corporations are more likely to give when the stock market is up.”
Mar 18, 2019
About this time last year, a curious envelope from His Eminence, Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson arrived at CCF’s office. Addressed to CCF President Anne Cullen Miller, the envelope contained a humbling invitation to attend the Third Vatican Conference on Impact Investing to take place in July of 2018. The conference convened brilliant minds from around the globe, all seeking innovative ways to…
Mar 11, 2019
Weeks of bitter cold, heavy snowfall, and canceled meetings didn’t keep 234 individuals from gathering for the Catholic Community Foundation’s (CCF) annual Investment Conference. The event, held on February 13, 2019, convened professional advisors, parish business administrators and trustees, and philanthropists to explore how CCF manages and invests donors’ and parishes’ assets with a Catholic heart.
A variety of speakers delivered updates on the foundation, our investments, and the economic outlook during the two-hour program. These included CCF’s own Anne Cullen Miller and Mike Ricci, Ascension Investment Management (AIM) chief investment officer David Erickson, and economic commentator Jim Paulsen.
